Tripod-head.



W. JARGSTORF.

TRIPOD HEAD. APPLICATION FILED MAY 3. 1915. RENEWED MAY 11.1916.

Patented June 13, 1916.

g a E ME OOLUMBIA PLANKSORAPH 90.. WASHINGTON, D- c.

WILLIAM JARGSTORF, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TRIPOD-HEAD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 13, 1916.

Application filed May 3, 1915, Serial No. 25,650. Renewed May 11, 1916.Serial No. 98,841.

To all whom it may concern .7

Be it known thatLWVILLIAM J'Ancs'ronrga citizen of the United States,and resident of the borough of Brooklyn, county of 1 Kings, city andState of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improve ments inTripod-Heads, of which the following is a specification.

The device, the subject of this invention, is intended as avmeansadapted to serve with the legs of an ordinary tripod in adjustablysupporting optical, scientific, photographic, and surveying instrumentsand analogous devices, and has for its special purpose the providing ofa means which will allow the instrument to be swiveled upon its centralsupport and'to be arranged at an angle to the perpendicular.

I have found that where it is desirable to set an instrument in positionon the side of a hill or upon an angled surface it is exceedinglydifficult to arrange the instrument upon a proper level, for it ofttimeshappens that where an ordinary screw is the securing means between theinstrument and the tripod, the instrument cannot be caused to assume theproper direction and yet be firmly secured to the tripod, it sometimesbecoming necessary to loosen the instrument upon the tripod, an actionfound dangerous and quite unsatisfactory.

I have also found that it sometimes occurs that the propenlevel cannotbe given the instrument because of the insecure or peculiar formation ofthe surface upon which the tripodis to be placed, and it is to overcomethe diiiiculties resulting from these peculiar conditions that I haveconstructed a tripod head which although secured firmly to an instrumentwhich it supports will allow that instrument to be turned upon avertical and horizontal axis in the manner which will be fully describedin the specification which follows.

The following is what I consider the best means of carrying out thisinvention and the accompanying drawings form a part of thisspecification, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my device, and a camera supportedthereby shown in dotted lines. scale and in this shown in section. Fig.4: a section on Similar reference figure certain portions are Fig. 3 isan elevation. the line 44 in Fig. 2. numerals indicate like Fig. 2 1s aview on a larger v parts in all of the figures where they ap- At 1, Ihave indicated a camera or photographic device and at 2 a surveyinginstrument. The instrument shown may be of any ordinary construction,shape, style, or size. My device may operate with entire satisfactionwith small or large cameras, mov1ng-picture cameras, transits, levels,telescopes or any and all devices which it is desirable to support bymeans of a tripod, and no change isirequired in the instrument it beingonly necessary to provide means by which the instrument may be securedto the tripod. a

Most cameras are provided with a screw threaded socket into which screw3 may be secured. This screw in my device is centrally secured in a disk4- which may be of any desirable size and which may be formed of anypreferred material. To the under side of the disk I secure two lugs 5and 5 separated a certain distance from each other and between theselugs and protruding upon each side thereof, I arrange a tapered pin 6,one end of which is screw threaded and provided with a thumb-nut 7.Between the lugs 5-5 and upon the pin I arrange a block 8 secured to thepin 6 by means of the rivet 9. Formed integral with the block 8 is avertical staff 10 tapered and having a SClG.-\.tl1161(l6l portion at itslower end upon which is arranged a thumb-nut 11. The staff 10 is passedinto and through a tubular member 12 cylindrical upon its exterior andtapered upon its interior, at an angle coincidental with the taper ofthe staff 10. Upon the exterior of the tubular member 12 and securedthereto I arrange a plurality of blocks 13, 14 and 15. 'These blocks aresplit and are'each provided with a pivot as indicated at 16, and it iswithin the blocks and upon the pivots 16 that the legs of the tripod areengaged. I may provide any suitable number of blocks and any suitablenumber of legs, but I have found that the customary number, three, is inmost instances sufficient for all purposes,-therefore I have shown threeblocks and three legs pivoted therein.

In operating my device a camera or other instrument is secured upon thedisk 4, the thumb-screws 7 and 11 are loosened to a slight extent andthe camera or other instrument focused and directed as the operaing amoving object in the finder the V graphed.

tograph the flight of an airship in a desired pear that tor may desire;then, steadying the instrument against accidental displacement thescrews 7 and 11 are tightened and the regular operations continued'asdesired. From this description of its operation it would apmy device waslimited in its usefulness. This is not so, however, as I have found thatby'its use I may accomplish results withphotographic cameras hardlyobtainable otherwise. For instance, the camera steady upon the tripodwith both of the screws 7 and 11 loosened the operator viewexposure maybe made when the satisfactory point is reached by the object beingphoto- In this way it is possible to phoand predetermined position, themovement of't'rains, horses, and other fast moving objects, and it ispossible to follow the movement of a boat by a movement of the cameraupon one plane, The thumb screw, which controls the transversemovementmay be secured thus adding to the firmness of the support for theinstrument.

' r The operation just described may be accomv plished with mostsatisfactory results with optical instruments such as field glasses,

telescopes and the like when used in conjunction with my support.

In connection with the construction I de sire to callattention to thefact that the pin 6 is secured in the block 8, and that the securing ofthe disk 4. upon its pin is accomplished by forcing the blocks55 upwardon the incline or taper of the pin. The vertical axial rotation iscontrolled by the engagement of the member 12 upon the taper of themember 10. This construction obviates thenecessity of disengaging thepins from the parts that they secure, obviates the possibility of theloss of the pivot pins or parts secured thereby and also allows thefriction between coincidentally movable parts to be entirely under thecontrol of the operator. I desire it understood, however, thatmodifications may be made Within the scope of Copies of this patent maybe obtained for the appended claims without departing from the principleor sacrificing the advantages of this invention.

Having thus carefully and fully described my invention what I claim anddesire to Secure by Letters Patent is 1. A tripod head having ahorizontal and tapered pin, lugs upon said pin, and provided withtapered perforations for engagement with said pin, a rest upon saidlugs, and means for moving said lugs 'upon said pin to secure africtional engagement therewith as and for the purpose set forth.

2; A tripod head having a vertical staff, a transverse pin secured atthe upper end thereof, lugs upon said pin and a rest secured to saidlugs and means for frictionally engaging said lugs with said pin toprevent relative movement thereof as and for the purpose set forth.

3. A tripod head having a tapered stafi, a transverse tapered pinsecured to the upper end thereof, a disk having lugs partially rotatableupon said pin, and means for temporarily securing said lugs upon saidpin to prevent the rotation thereof as and for the urpose set forth.

4.. Device of the character described comprising a disk, means forsecuring a camera to said disk, lugs upon said disk and provided withtapered perforations, a tapered shaft passing through said lugs, andmeans for temporarily frictionally engaging said lugs upon said shaft,and a stafi secured at about midlength of said shaft, the body of saidstafi being tapered, a tapered cylindrical member for receiving saidstaff, and means for frictionally engaging said staff 'in saidcylindrical member, and a plurality of lugs upon said staff forreceiving the legs of said tripod as herein specified.

Signed at New York city, in the county and State of New York April 21,1915.

WILLIAM J ARGSTORF. I

l Vitness: I

G. E. Srnnnrrrn Mann.

five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patenta,

Washington, .D. 0."

